Volume 24, Issue 7 (10-2025)                   JRUMS 2025, 24(7): 643-658 | Back to browse issues page

Ethics code: IR.RUMS.REC.1402.143

XML Persian Abstract Print


Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:

Nasirzadeh M, Hafezi Bakhtiari M, Hasanzadeh M, Hasani Ashjerdi N, Rezaeian M. Investigating the Suicidal Thoughts and Their Correlation with Life Skills and Perceived Social Support in Students of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences in the 2024-2025 Academic Year: A Descriptive Study. JRUMS 2025; 24 (7) :643-658
URL: http://journal.rums.ac.ir/article-1-7748-en.html
Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences
Abstract:   (40 Views)
Investigating the Suicidal Thoughts and Their Correlation with Life Skills and Perceived Social Support in Students of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences in the 2024-2025 Academic Year: A Descriptive Study
Mostafa Nasirzadeh[1], Mona Hafezi Bakhtiari[2], Mahdiyeh Hasanzadeh[3], Niloofar Hasani Ashjerdi[4], Mohsen Rezaeian[5]

Received: 27/05/25       Sent for Revision: 29/06/25       Received Revised Manuscript: 25/08/25   Accepted: 27/08/25

Background and Objectives: Life skills and social support are effective factors in preventing suicide attempts. The present study aimed to determine the suicidal thoughts and their correlation with life skills and perceived social support among Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences students.
Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was conducted in the 2024-2025 academic year among 206 students using stratified sampling. The data collection tools were the standard Beck’s Suicidal Thoughts Questionnaire, Saatchi et al.’s Life Skills, and Zimet et al.’s Perceived Social Support, and data collection was in-person. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Spearman’s correlation, Mann-Whitney, and Kruskal-Wallis statistical tests.
Results: The mean (±SD) scores were 2.58±4.85 for students’ suicidal thoughts, 124.98±19.95 for life skills, and 60.22±14.20 for perceived social support. Spearman's correlation test showed a significant inverse correlation between the score of suicidal thoughts and life skills (rs=-0.259, p<0.001) and perceived social support (rs=-0.262, p<0.001). Also, a significant correlation was observed between the mean score of suicidal thoughts and gender (p=0.035), mother's occupation (p=0.044), and mother's education (p=0.004).
Conclusion: About one sixth of students had high-risk and very high-risk suicidal thoughts. Given the correlation between suicidal thoughts and life skills and social support, it is recommended to implement educational programs and empowerment courses for students.
Keywords: Suicidal thoughts, Life skills, Perceived social support, Students, Rafsanjan

Funding: This study was funded by Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences.
Conflict of interest: None declared.
Ethical Considerations: The Ethics Committee of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences approved the study (IR.RUMS.REC.1402.143).
Authors’ contributions
- Conceptualization: Mostafa Nasirzadeh, Mohsen Rezaeian
- Methodology: Mohsen Rezaeian, Mostafa Nasirzadeh
- Data collection: Mahdiyeh Hasanzadeh, Niloofar Hasani Ashjerdi
- Formal analysis: Mostafa Nasirzadeh, Mona Hafezi Bakhtiari
- Supervision: Mostafa Nasirzadeh, Mohsen Rezaeian
- Project administration: Mostafa Nasirzadeh
- Writing – original draft: Mostafa Nasirzadeh, Mona Hafezi Bakhtiari
- Writing – review & editing: All authors
Citation: Nasirzadeh M, Hafezi Bakhtiari M, Hasanzadeh M, Hasani Ashjerdi N, Rezaeian M. Investigating the Suicidal Thoughts and Their Correlation with Life Skills and Perceived Social Support in Students of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences in the 2024-2025 Academic Year: A Descriptive Study. J Rafsanjan Univ Med Sci 2025; 24 (7): 643-58. [Farsi]
 
[1]- Associate Prof., Dept.  of Health Education and Health Promotion, School of Health, Occupational Environment Research Center, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran
[2]- MSc Student in Health Education and Health Promotion, Student Research Committee, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran
[3]- MSc Student in Public Health, Student Research Committee, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran
[4]- MSc Student in Public Health, Student Research Committee, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran
[5]- Prof., Dept. of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Occupational Environment Research Center, Medical School, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran, ORCID: 0000-0003-3070-0166,
(Corresponding Author) Tel: (034) 31315243, E-mail: moeygmr2@yahoo.co.uk
Full-Text [PDF 335 kb]   (30 Downloads) |   |   Full-Text (HTML)  (23 Views)  
Type of Study: Research | Subject: Environmental Health
Received: 2025/05/26 | Accepted: 2025/08/27 | Published: 2025/10/18

References
1. World Health Organization (WHO), Suicide, Overview, 2025. [25 March 2025]. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/ detail/ suicide
2. Mousavi SV, Ghasemi Jobaneh R, Rezaei S, Sheakhli N. Neuroticism and Problem-Solving Styles in Women Chemical Suicide Attempters. Clin Psych Pers 2020; 16(2): 123-30. [Farsi]
3. World Health Organization (WHO), Suicide, National suicide prevention strategies: progress, examples and indicators 2018. [2024] Available at: https://iris.who.int/bitstream/ handle/10665/ 2797 65/9789241515016-eng.pdf?sequence= 1& is Allowed=y
4. Abedi Parija H. The Role of Family Functioning Components in Predicting Suicidal Thoughts of Students. Journal of Pouyesh in Education and Consultation (JPEC) 2021; 1399 (13): 37-53. [Farsi]
5. Bakhtar M, Rezaeian M. The prevalence of suicide thoughts and attempted suicide plus their risk factors among Iranian students: a systematic review study. J Rafsanjan Univ Med Sci 2017; 15(11): 1061-76. [Farsi]
6. Heshmati Joda A, Khakpoor S, Kosari Z, Mohammad M, Zenoozian S. Prevalence of Suicide Ideation among Students of Zanjan University of Medical Sciences. J Res Behav Sci 2019; 17(1): 35-43. [Farsi]
7. Damirchi ES, Samadifard HR. The role of irrational beliefs, mindfulness and cognitive avoidance in the prediction of suicidal thoughts in soldiers. J Mil Med 2018; 20(4): 431-8. [Farsi]
8. Peltzer K, Yi S, Pengpid S. Suicidal behaviors and associated factors among university students in six countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Asian J Psychiatr 2017; 26: 32-8.
9. Rezaeian M. A review on the international handbook of suicide prevention: Research, policy and practice. J Rafsanjan Univ Med Sci 2019; 17(10): 985-6. [Farsi]
10. Rezaeian M. A critical look at the world health organization report for suicide prevention. J Rafsanjan Univ Med Sci 2018; 16(12):1169-74. [Farsi]
11. Rezaeian M. A brief report on the components of national strategies for suicide prevention suggested by the World Health Organization. Focus on Iran Part 2 2017; 7(10): 154.
12. Simbar M, Golezar S, Alizadeh SH, Hajifoghaha M. Suicide risk factors in adolescents worldwide: a narrative review. J Rafsanjan Univ Med Sci 2018; 16(12): 1153-68. [Farsi]
13. Ram D, Koneru A, Gowdappa B. Relationship between life skills, repetitive negative thinking, family function, and life satisfaction in attempted suicide. Indian J Psychiatry 2020; 62(3): 283-9.
14. Ackerman JP, McBee-Strayer SM, Mendoza K, Stevens J, Sheftall AH, Campo JV, et al. Risk-sensitive decision-making deficit in adolescent suicide attempters. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol 2015; 25(2): 109-13.
15. Mehrdadi S, Hassani F, Keshavarzi F, Salehi M, Sepah Mansour M. Effectiveness of life skill trainings in ego power, temperament, and suicidal thoughts among girls and boys attempting to commit suicide in Ilam province, Iran. J Ilam Univ Med Sci 2021; 29(4): 46-59. [Farsi]
16. Pradeep BS, Arvind BA, Ramaiah S, Shahane S, Garady L, Arelingaiah M, et al. Quality of a life skills training program in Karnataka, India-a quasi-experimental study. BMC Public Health 2019; 19: 1-9.
17. Maleki G, Hassanzadeh R, Fakhri MK. Structural equations modeling of social support with suicide ideation by mediating role of life satisfaction in students. Pajouhan Sci J 2022; 20(3): 169-76. [Farsi]
18. Mehrabian T, Payvastegar M, Sadeghifar J. Prediction of suicidal thoughts based on cognitive emotion regulation strategies, perceived social support, self-efficacy, perfectionism, and spiritual health in students at Ilam universities. J Ilam Univ Med Sci 2023; 31(3): 20-35. [Farsi]
19. Menati R, Niazi M, Toosang MA, Kassani A. Assessment of some social factors related to suicidal behaviors in Ilam, Iran, during 2018. J Ilam Univ Med Sci 2020; 28(1): 89-99. [Farsi]
20. Vahedian Azimi M, Hosseini S, Hazar N. Spiritual health among medical students of Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences in 2019. Health Rese Dev 2024; 2(1): 28-40. [Farsi]
21. Beck AT, Kovacs M, Weissman A. Assessment of suicidal intention: the Scale for Suicide Ideation. J Consult Clin Psych 1979; 47: 343–52.
22. Anisi J, Fathi Ashtiani A, Salimi SH, Ahmadi Nodeh Kh. Evaluation of the reliability and validity of the suicidal thought scale. J Mil Med 2005; 7(1): 33-7. [Farsi]
23. Saatchi M, Kamkar K, Asgarian M. Psychological tests. Ed7, Tehran, Virayesh Publisher 2022: 191-200. [Farsi]
24. Zimet G, Dahlem N, Zimet S, Farley G. The Multidimensional scale of perceived social support. Journal of Personality Assessment 1988; 52: 30-41.
25. Jowkar B, Salimi A. Psychometric properties of the short form of the social and emotional loneliness scale for adults (SELSA-S). Int J Behav Sci 2012; 5(4): 311-7. [Farsi]
26. Akbari A, Panaghi L, Habibi M, Sadeghi MA. Perceived Family Functioning and Suicidal Ideation Among University Students: Hopelessness as a Moderator (Persian). Iranian Journal of Psychiatry & Clinical Psychology 2017; 22(4): 284-91. [Farsi]
27. Amiri Mosavar P, Shamsaei F, Tapak L, Moradvisi L. The relationship of sociality with self-criticism and depression among Bachelors’ nursing students. Iranian Journal of Psychiatric Nursing 2023; 11(4): 23-32. [Farsi]
28. Moskow DM, Lipson SK, Tompson MC. Anxiety and suicidality in the college student population. J Am Coll Health 2024; 72(3): 881-8.
29. Mobaderi T, Roudbari M. Assessment of students’ life skills in Iran University of Medical Sciences. J Razi Med Sci 2018; 24(165): 9-21. [Farsi]
30. Tang F, Xue F, Qin P. The interplay of stressful life events and coping skills on risk for suicidal behavior among youth students in contemporary China: a large-scale cross-sectional study. BMC Psychiatry 2015; 15(182): 1-10.
31. Khanzadeh A, Maleki Manesh A, Taher M, Mojarad A. The effect of teaching self-awareness skill on reducing aggressive behaviors, addiction and suicide of female high school students. J Alzahra Univ Fac Edu Sci Psy 2018; 14(1). [Farsi]
32. Fouladchang M, Dadvand F. The Mediating Role of Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies in the Relationship between Proactive Personality and Perceived Social Support and Emotional Well-Being among Students: A Descriptive Study. J Rafsanjan Univ Med Sci 2025; 24(1): 3-18. [Farsi]
33. Sadeghzadeh R, Ahadi H, Dortaj F, Manshaee G. Development of a causal model of dependence on virtual social networks based on the relationships between social anxiety, perceived social support, and feeling of loneliness with mediation of self-regulation. New Media Studies (NMS) 2022; 8(29): 363-73. [Farsi]
34. Norollahi M, Zangeneh H, PourJamshidi M. Exploring the Relationship among Various Forms of Social Support, Academic Engagement, and Technology Anxiety amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic: An investigation of mediation and moderation effects. Technology of Education Journal (TEJ) 2023; 18(1): 191-212. [Farsi]
35. Norbeck JS, Lindsey AM, Carrieri VL. Further development of the Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire: Normative data and validity testing. Nurs Res 1983; 32(1): 4-9.
36. Rahimi, N, Asadolahi, Z. Relationship between Spiritual well-being and the Outbreak of Suicidal Thoughts among Nursing and Midwifery Students of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, 2015. J Commun Health 2016; 10(3): 28-35. [Farsi]
37. Ghadamipour E, Shafiei M, Heidarirad H. Relationships among Cyberbullying, psychological vulnerability and suicidal thoughts in female and male students. J Health Psychol Res 2017; 11(3): 1140. [Farsi]
38. Ahmadi Y, Babatbar Darzi H, Asadzandi M, Sepandi M. Investigating the Relationship between Demographic Characteristics and Life Style of Medical University Students in a Military Medical University. Mil Caring Sci 2020; 7(1): 17-25. [Farsi]
39. Inanlou M, Baha R, Seyedfatemi N, Fadaee Aghdam N, Basirinezhad MH. Self-efficacy and the Related Demographic Characteristics in Nursing Students. Iran J Nurs 2020; 33(127): 45-57. [Farsi]
40. Amiri M. The Relationship between Family Function, Social support and Demographic factors with Stress and Mental Health among Parents of Deaf children. J Res Psychol Health 2016; 10(4): 63-75. [Farsi]
41. Hosseni Ardakani Z, Bashardoust S, Mirhashmi M. Providing a Structural Model of the Quality of Life of the Elderly based on General Health and Demographic Characteristics with the Mediating Role of Social Support. Islamic Life J 2023; 7: 409-34. [Farsi]

Add your comments about this article : Your username or Email:
CAPTCHA

Send email to the article author


Rights and permissions
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

© 2025 CC BY-NC 4.0 | Journal of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences

Designed & Developed by : Yektaweb